Celebrity Crushes: Here Today And Gone Tomorrow

Celebrity crushes are usually here today and gone tomorrow. When I was growing up back in the eighties I had many favorite bands such as The Police, Culture Club, The Moody Blues, U2, Chicago, Foreigner, Boston, Men at Work, Duran Duran, but I never obsessed about these bands. Over the last few years we hear about kids begging their parents to take them to Hannah Montana and Justin Bieber concerts, and about parents haggling for tickets to these sold out concerts online and offline. Twenty-five years ago pre-teens had favorite musicians and movie stars, but the demand to go to their concerts and movies did not seem as obsessive. Well maybe with a few groups like New Kids On The Block, but I never remember people talking about them to the degree they talk about the more current teen idols. It seems people from more intense celebrity crushes these days at a much earlier age in the past. When I was eight I wanted to play with Barbie dolls, but I have heard girls around the same age talk about wanting to dress like adult movie stars and singers. Things seem more intense these days regarding celebrity crushes, or maybe it has always been this way?

Who is your celebrity crush?

However, maybe this has always happened to some degree because I remember when I was in first grade one girl in our class used to come to school dressed like Madonna and talk about how she wanted to look like her. However, this girl was the exception to the majority, and I remember most girls in my classes such wanting to act like little girls. Many people assume kids learn these things by watching cable and MTV, but I have exposed this form of media and never picked up on certain words until kids talked about these at school. I think children have always figured things out on their own too, so sheltering your kids from the TV and cutting them off from the Internet does not necessarily mean they will never watch a program that is forbidden by the parents. Actually, many kids sneak behind their parents back and watch certain types of programs because their parents tell them not to do it. My parents did not want my younger sisters to watch Steven King's It on television, but apparently, they snuck out and watched it anyway. Years later they admitted to doing this, and they only wanted to do it because my parents said they could not watch this movie. My youngest sister said it was a horrible movie and could not understand why anyone liked it.

I can sympathize with parents being concerned by showing overly violent movies to their kids because my parents were, but overall they let me watch many different programs and I turned out just fine. Actually watching these certain programs with parental approval and explanations made me realize how ridiculous characters can be on shows. Ironically I have noticed often it is the kids who are put on heavy TV or Internet restriction that have a tendency to be obsessed with certain TV programs because these are forbidden. However, many of the devoted fans of TV shows are also kids who watch certain programs every day, so sometimes it just depends on the person. Even adults often fall hard when it comes to obsessing about certain entertainers, but some people take it farther than others.

One of my favorite hubbers funnebone reminded me of the Hannah Montana obsession the other day, and I just wonder if sometimes people are too addicted to one particular person or personae. Funnebone is not a fan of Hannah Montana, but he has made some funny jokes about soaking Hannah Montana stationery in Old Spice. Who actually wants to buy stationery with a celebrity on it? I never felt that appeal, so I am just curious because I would rather have something cute like butterflies and kittens on my stationery. Today I actually make my own stationery, but even if I were to buy stationery I do not think I would buy a set with pictures of famous people on it. Most of us like a particular celebrity and watch their movies and listen to their music, but do you ever think maybe this goes too far? I think the majority of people can handle their fascination with a celebrity, but some are just way too overboard.

Popular Today, Forgotten Tomorrow

Will Hannah Montana still be really popular twenty years from now? There is a possibility she might be since many child hood stars continue to be obsessed about once they become adults. Today the Olsen twins are still highly discussed and photographed, and it is funny to think they started out as a pair of twins playing Michelle on Full House. In most cases, TV shows replace younger kids with older kids later on, but the Olsen twins were so popular that they were kept on. However, what happened to the twins that played the younger children on programs such as Growing Pains, Seventh Heaven, and Family Ties? We never hear about these actors because they were usually replaced with older kids the next season. I always thought it was funny how kids grow up so fast on sitcoms, which sort of made me stop watching certain situation comedies after awhile. Do not get me wrong I still occasionally enjoy watching sitcoms, but often I would be slightly irritated with how the writers forget certain crucial details or story lines or do they just think the viewers are would just forget certain details about the character? Anyway, it is interesting how certain actors become celebrities overnight, but other ones fade away over time. I can understand that certain actors and musicians have more appeal than others, but often I find myself being drawn to celebrities and musicians others are not as fascinated about.

Do you remember Milli Vanilli?

Some people shake their heads and have no clue what I am talking about when I talk about this group. However, if you were a pre-teen or teenager in circa 1989/1990 I am sure you will remember them well. All the girls in my sixth-grade class used to gather around the juke box at lunch time play the songs by Milli Vanilli and New Kids On The Block. The girls went on and on about how cute these men were and how they would faint if they ever met them. My friends were so obsessed with Milli Vanilli and had us listen to the song Girl You Know It's True about twenty times in one day when I came over to her house! However, I just never got the obsession with Milli Vanilli, even though Rob Pilatus and Fab Morvan were cute enough guys.

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All the girls used to swoon about Milli Vanilli when I was in sixth grade, but one day they started hating them all because they found out they were lip singing. How can people be so fickle about a celebrity and love them one minute and then despise them the next? It was not Pilatus and Morvan's idea to lip sync to the music, but the idea of their manager who decided they would make better front men than the real singers. After this event, I just thought people seem really fickle when it come to celebrities and their interest is there one day and gone tomorrow. By the way, I heard in an interview that Fab Moravan has gone on to become a talented musician and songwriter in his own right, which was a nice thing to hear since I think people made way too big of a deal out of the lip-syncing debacle. Fab Moravan even wrote a special dedication song to Rob Pilatus, who died of a drug overdose back in 1998.

Moravan shares in an interview how when he signed on with Milli Vanilli he was a naïve eighteen-year-old that was persuaded to sign a contract in German, which he could not read, so he did not know he was going not going to be able to do his own singing. It was only when Moravan and Pilatus wanted to sing there own songs that their manager came forward and revealed the secret. I think this was an interesting interview to listen to because Moravan shares how Milli Vanilli was not the only European band at the type to lip sing in the late 1980s, but they just happened to get caught and were vilified for it. To me, this shows why people should not be fickle and create love affairs with actors and musicians because they are just people like everyone else. Celebrities make mistakes and will do things that disappoint you, so putting them on a lofty pedestal is just setting yourself up for disappointment.

Women Who Are Obsessed With Cute Actors

In the year 1997 I had two college friends who was absolutely obsessed with the movie The English Patient. I usually enjoy most period pieces, but I have always been bored to tears when I see TheEnglish Patient because this movie just does not appeal to me. I really identified with the Seinfeld episode where everyone was trying to make Elaine go see the movie The English Patient because that is exactly what my friends were doing to me. However, when my friends talked about the movie they did not seem to like it for any reason in particular except for the fact Ralph Fiennes stars in this picture. Not only did I have to sit through this movie once, but one friend begged to see if twice. Yikes I just wanted to watch a comedy like Fools Rush In if I went to the movies, but none of my friends ever asked me what I wanted to see. Turns out these friends were not real friends in the long run and only wanted someone to hang out with them and do things they enjoyed, but that is another story.

Anyway I think Ralph Fiennes is a great actor and I find him handsome, but this is not enough reason for me to watch a movie I found boring the first time around. My friend from the dorms made me sit through two torturous viewings of The English Patient, so when an off campus friend called to say she wanted me to go see it I told her I had a paper to write. Why did I not just tell her the truth, well I was afraid to tell my friend no back then. Oh well, I am not like that anymore, but I have learned to actually express my interest and opinions when I do see friends, and I no longer go to movies I do not enjoy. However, one thing I find in the end is for all the obsession about Ralph Fiennes in The English Patient I rarely hear women swone over him anymore. Well from time to time I hear a women talk about how cute they are, but not on the same scale this movie first came out. The same goes for Russell Crowe and Leonard Di Caprio, women no longer swoon over them the way they did a few years back. I am sure there is another up and coming actor people are holding a candle for right now, but I would not know who this because lately I have been only focusing on shows and projects I like. I must admit I am excited about the show Big Love coming back to HBO, but I am more interested in the story line and not attracted to the actors.

So who is the new object of affection for this week's new celebrity crush? A small number of people are so obsessed with their celebrities, but I wonder if ten years from now people will still be following Hannah Montana's every move. I think some of the more devoted fans might because people still love Alyssa Milano from the time she stared as a teen in Who's The Boss, but people need to give these celebrities a break. People are still talking about the photo shoot Miley Ray Sirus did, but for some reason they think she is Hannah Montana is real life. Give the girl a break and allow her to make her own life choices. Just because she does not conform to how you behave does not make her a bad person. She even apologized for doing that photo shoot, and I am not sure why she had to because it was much more tasteful compared what many other young starlets have done. As for adults I wonder why do some people write stories about how they will spend a romantic evening their favorite actor? I am just curious because I came across quite a few online stories like that recently. Does anyone else giggle when she read and hear about how obsessed people can be with a particular celebrity?

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SweetiePie 6 years agofrom Southern California, USA

The whole celebrity stalking thing freaks me out. Enough celebrities are on Facebook and Twitter today, so if you really want to know what they are up to, visit their pages. No need to stalk them everywhere they go. Let these people live their lives I say.

Fluffy77 6 years agofrom Enterprise, OR

Good thought provoking Hub! I have noticed a few people who still go too far with the gossip around celebs. I sometimes wish we could just give them just a little more privacy and respect during tough and crisis times in there lives. Really they are human beings, after all. Great that you did this now, it's something I do think about sometimes anyway, thanks!

:) 7 years ago

i've had loads of crushes on girls - more for admiration than anything... most of them have faded because once you crush on someone, you look them up and find stuff you don't want to know, some have been megan fox (that one stopped pretty quickly) hilary duff, emma roberts, emmy rossum.... more recently rachel mcadams - she's great.

Author

SweetiePie 7 years agofrom Southern California, USA

I think when we are young we all have these crushes that fade as we realize the fantasy of it all.

Doll Heart Candy 7 years agofrom Belfast

Great hub. Growing up Tom Cruise was my favourite. Now I wonder what I was thinking.

Although Heath Ledger will always have a special place in my heart.

Author

SweetiePie 8 years agofrom Southern California, USA

I definitely love Drew Barrymore, she is one of the best!

Jonathan Janco 8 years agofrom Southport, CT

Yep. The good ol' 80's. My biggest crush was Drew Barrymore. No doubt about that one! And she's the same age as me, too.

Author

SweetiePie 8 years agofrom Southern California, USA

Writer Rider, In general I think people forgot Milli Vanilli, but I am sure some did remember them. Their lives after the truth came out about their lip syncing became very tumultous. Sting is still great in my opinion, but I am not sure I would go to any of the reunion Police concerts. I would attend a Moody Blues concert.

Writer Rider 8 years ago

I don't know...I was pretty fanatic about The Police. Unfortunately, they broke up before my parents considered me old enough to attend one of their concerts. I'm also ashamed to admit that I liked Milli Vanilli. I continued to like their music though...despite the sham.

Wow funnebone, I did not know Constant Walker was starting up a dancing career. Guess I learn something new every day.

funnebone 9 years agofrom Philadelphia Pa

I just want it to be known that I am already obsessed with Constant Walker and I don't have to wait for him to be the next Lord of the Dance!

Author

SweetiePie 9 years agofrom Southern California, USA

I think you are right Ann, many crushes do last longer than a short time span. I just notice some go away more quickly.

Ann Smith 9 years agofrom Southeastern U.S.

My celebrity crush has been ongoing for about 25 years now - MATT DILLON! ha-ha! So maybe I break the norm on the here today, gone tomorrow.

Author

SweetiePie 9 years agofrom Southern California, USA

Cherish,

Those are some cute actors, so I understand. I understand about being reasonable with concert tickets. I even thought about going to a concert myself last year, but I could not see aing 90 dollars for a seat that was towards the back.

Triplet Mom,

LL Cool J is kind of cute, but that is neat you got the chance to meet him too. I have never met a celebrity personally, but I saw Frankie Avalon shopping up in Lake Arrowhead once.

Triplet Mom 9 years agofrom West Coast

SweetiePie, great hub. I usually have small crushes on certain celebrities and those come and go with their careers. If they are not in the limelight or not visible to me then I can quickly forget about them. However I also have major crushes that have lasted years like LL Cool J who I have had the great experience of meeting, for me that crush will never die. I am not obsessed or a stalker to me that becomes a waste of time but I do enjoy their work and will drop everything if they are on tv. Thanks!

Cherish77 9 years ago

Great Hub, SP. Oh my do I have a long list of crushes.lol And many of them are my my Childhood and Teen days. Like Leonardo, Michael J. Fox, Johnny Depp, Kirk Cameron. Moario Lopez(he is a sleeze though) Mark Paul Gossalaur, and the old foggies, lol Harrison Ford, Tom Seleck, Tommy Lee Jones, Allan Rickman, Sean Connery, and Michael Caine. Zac Ephron, and Robert Pattinson, and Danial Radcliff are my new crushes. Like I said I have many actors and singers I love.

I kind of like Hannah/Miley. Her dad is soooo cute. Cuter than when he was singing Achey Breaky heart, though Sean's aunt begs to differ, she has a thing for men with mullets,lol. But yes, some people are a bit obsessed. I love my daughter, but I would never pay more than $40 a ticket to take her to a concert. If she wants to pay $100 or more for a ticket, she can get a job, and pay for it herself.

That is a really good point, he should have listened to his family too. You are welcome to come back and share any celebrities you like here. Sorry if I seem too intense at the Paul thing :).

Author

SweetiePie 9 years agofrom Southern California, USA

poorQpine,

You are a very smart creature. I tend to agree with you, who really cares about their personal lives. The show that really annoys me is TMZ where they follow all the celebrities around in LA to see what they are buying, where they are eating, or who their new loves are. The only reason I was talking about the Paul McCartney thing was in that particular case I think he had an unfair shake. I could care less if Heather gets millions from him, just did not like how she made such a big deal about what a horrible person he was, etc.

Susan Reid 9 years agofrom Where Left is Right, CA

SP, Don't get me wrong. I am 100% on Paul's side in the Heather Mills divorce. I think the longstanding love he had with Linda was just phenomenal. And I know sometimes kids, even grown kids, can be irrational when it comes to Mom/Dad getting remarried. Still, in this case, Dad should have listened to Stella and the other little McCartneys (although I seem to remember Stella was the most vociferiously against Heather). And I agree that dragging their private life into the media made her look bad, but also put a slight tarnish on him, too.

Maybe I'll head over to the Entertainment Forum and start a thread on which singers people find attractive:).

poorQpine 9 years agofrom USA

I like actors and actresses who can do just that and do a great job with any kind of character. If they can sell the character then I am buying. I really don't give a shit about their personal lives unless it has something to do with what makes them tick. Crushes are a fantasy and I don't have time nor energy to waste on that. I thought John Kennedy Jr. was a beautiful specimen of a human, but fantasizing about him, I think not. I believe Holly Berry is also. Who cares what they eat, what they like to sleep in or with or anything else. Michael Jackson could dance his ass off, but I do not care about his personal life either. They are all people, just people like everyone else.

Author

SweetiePie 9 years agofrom Southern California, USA

Rockinjoe,

It seems like every guy I met has a crush on Christina Applegate, but she is pretty cute so I understand. I think several musicians and actors are pretty handsome, I just been pondering the obsessions some have with them. That was pretty scary with Abdul's stalker. Wonder how someone gets to the point where they life completely revolves around an actor. Thanks for commenting :).

goldentoad,

Alyssa Milano is very cute, so that is understandable. With your current avatar it looks like you are hiding your face and acting shy when you say that :). No I am just kidding :).

Mighty Mom,

Yes you are right about that, and even before The Beatles there were crowds of girls lining up to see Frank Sinatra performances.

As for the Paul and Heather Mills debacle, I actually side with Paul on that one and see her as a bit of an opportunist. I regret to say so, but I am sure Heather was fully aware of his drinking and many other issues he had before they got married. Also, because he had such a good marriage with Linda McCartney, I am even more incredulous. I think Heather made up a few stories about him because she saw an opportunity and wanted to get more attention. McCartney did not even make her sign a pre-nup, and how many guys in the industry are that trusting and generous?

Also, Barbara Walters, who is someone I really respect, has mentioned that Heather Mills was less than polite to her staff during an interview, which is noteworthy because Barbara rarely ever takes a stance like that about someone. At the end of the day I still admire Paul McCartney for his musical talent, but I think he does have some very deep personal issues. I am not saying he was the pefect husband, but I think Heather lied quite a bit and got a much more generous divorce settlement than a woman who would have signed a pre-nup. She is a pretty lucky lady actually and she could have not paraded her marriage problems in the media the way she did. Her daughter will remember those things and it does have an impact on children. Sorry to express this much about it, but I just really have a strong opinion about that whole affair.

Yeah the Hannah Montana thing is kind of too much for me and I think some parents feed into the freenzy. I hear parents complaining about their kids obsession with her, but then they keep buying their kids Hannah Montana products and going to the concerts. Honestly I just think they need to draw the line some where because you cannot have it both ways. Thanks for sharing.

I also like all the stories you have about some of your favorite celebrities from when you were younger, which might make an interesting hub in itself. Just wanted to add that :).

tselvi,

I am glad you enjoyed the hub.

G-Ma Johnson,

I have several singers I think are handsome too. John Lodge and Justin Hayward are two of my favorites. Thanks for sharing :).

tselvi 9 years ago

Excellent hub.All over the world,many people live,being obsessed with celebrities.This's the fertile situation for commercialism and production of cultural 'commodities' and practising culture as business reigns supreme in the world of entertainment.Extreme obsession spoils the celebrities also,sometimes.Thanks

Susan Reid 9 years agofrom Where Left is Right, CA

Wouldn't it make sense that as we age and mature, our crushes do, too? In grade school, I had a new crush every year from kindergarten on (through 9th grade, then in 10th I got a real boyfriend).

So like when you're 13 and reading TigerBeat magazine (or whatever today's equivalent might be) you're of course gonna be sweet on the latest teen heartthrob. But as a middle-aged adult, it would be sick, indeed, for me to be all gaga over Zack Ephron (although I do wonder if he is Nora Ephron's son -- does anyone know?). And even the idols of my wild young days (Bryan Ferry and Michael Hutchens come to mind) no longer hold that place of honor. Ok, well Michael Hutchens committed suicide so it's kinda hard to have a crush on him.

So from this perspective, I think you are right, SP. As stars fade from the public eye, it's natural that the public moves on. Outta sight, outta heart/mind.

Merle Ann Johnson 9 years agofrom NW in the land of the Free

I am hung up on several western singers...since my ex left me and they seem to sing about every heartache one can have...Love Brooks &amp; Dunn (not new), Gary Allen and humm Keith Urban...to name a few...I heard that one of the new gals was being stocked..umm she won from American song contest...shoot I cannot for the life of me, think of her name...oh well..I am sure it's no fun...Carrie Underwood...I remembered !!!!

and yes they do come and go but so do we all..hee hee...Nice hub SweetiePie..Thanks for all the reminders...G-Ma :o) Hugs &amp; Peace

Joseph Addams 9 years agofrom Standing right behind you!

Gotcha MightyMom...No wonder you left:)

Susan Reid 9 years agofrom Where Left is Right, CA

Rockinjoe, you're familiar with the term "banned in Boston" right? Who did you think it referred to:-)?

Joseph Addams 9 years agofrom Standing right behind you!

wow, MightyMom, you went on the air with that? lol, I still listen to BCN once in awhile.

Susan Reid 9 years agofrom Where Left is Right, CA

LOL. I was also enamored of Debbie Harry and once went on the radio (WBCN in Boston) and told the audience that she and I were half sisters, with the same father and different mothers.

The idea of mass ideation of celebrities isn't all that new. The Beatles created a giant smite-fest when they came to the US in 1964. In fact, it's only now (post Heather Mills debacle) that my own crush on Sir Paul is fading.

I also think a lot of Hannah Montana's fame comes from overexposure. There are so many more ways to get into young girls' conscience these days -- merchandizing, TV shows, Internet, product endorsements. It's pretty hard to ignore her. But somehow, I manage.

For the record, my male star crushes have stayed pretty consistent, not subject to any trends. My taste is definitely weird, as I don't think I know more than 1 other person who joneses for Christopher Walken, Tommy Lee Jones and Alan Rickman (one end of my spectrum).

goldentoad 9 years agofrom Free and running....

I still love Alyssa Milano and I think I always will.

Joseph Addams 9 years agofrom Standing right behind you!

Great hub. Look at the recent suicide of a woman who was stalking Paula Abdul. That's creepy. Letterman had a stalker for years. I recently read a story where Uma Thurman was in court (probably several months ago now) over a guy who's been following her for years. So, yeah, I agree people can become more than obsessive.

As far as celebrity crushes? Back in the late 70's and early 80's mine was Debbi Harry of Blondie. Late 80's and early 90's? Christina Applegate. Then I got married and I now have to keep them all secret now :(